The present disclosure relates to image forming apparatus.
Recently, Multi-Function Peripherals (MFP) having multifunction of a scanner, a facsimile machine, a printer and a copying machine are used in offices. The MFP is frequently used being connected with information processing terminals like a personal computer via a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network), and works as an image forming device for printing out image data inputted from the information processing terminal on papers, an image reader for obtaining image data to be used on the information processing terminal, a facsimile machine for transmitting the image data to a designated address, and a document management device for storing document image data so as to be searchable.
Some of the above-mentioned MFPs have an editing function for image data. As such editing function, various techniques have been proposed taking account of user friendliness. For instance, it is known the image display and the editing system including the preview displaying device for resending print command data corrected based on the editing operation after the editing operation while executing the preview display, and enables to execute the editing like dividing, deleting, copying, pasting, and sorting pages.
It is also known the MFP that has a function for deleting unnecessary files automatically. Various techniques have been known as the automatic deleting function, taking account of user friendliness. For instance, one of the conventional arts is configured so as to search an incomplete file ended and stored in the middle of creation that is caused by an interruption of a storing process at storing a specific data as a file, and deleting the searched incomplete file if the searched incomplete file is to be a complete one but it is not a complete file. In addition, if the incomplete file is not necessary to be complete, the incomplete file is repaired and the name of the repaired file is changed so as to recognize that the file was repaired.
It occurs in the office that the document is frequently digitalized to image data by the Multi-function Peripheral, and the image data is sent to a third person. The transmission doesn't make any sense if the image data includes all the information. It frequently occurs that the information that is necessary for the sender and receiver in fact is a limited part of the image data.
For instance, in the material department, when an estimate is requested to plural companies regarding a purchase scheduled good for purchasing the good, the document to be sent to an authorized person having a power to decide the supplier in order to investigate the supplier (or indicate the supplier decision process) should include all the estimates from the plural companies. However, the information in fact after the supplier has been decided is only one estimate complying with desired conditions and the other estimates become unnecessary information. Therefore, the following processing is done; extracting a page including the necessary information from the document including all the information, and storing the page after the necessary information on the page is marked.
In this situation, the image data of the former document (the document including all the information) is easily prepared and stored by digitalizing the plural pages of the document by means of an image reading function of the MFP. On the other hand, in order to take out a page including the necessary information from the image data and store the page after the mark is imparted to the necessary part of the information on the page, the following steps are required; printing out the necessary page of the prepared image data; imparting the mark to the printed matter, and then storing after the printed matter is digitalized. Otherwise, the following steps are performed by the above-mentioned editing function; dividing the image data into pages; imparting the mark to the divided image data by the editing function; and storing the image data after the editing.
In case of the former method, since the printing, the image reading, and the storing processes must be executed and there are a large number of processing to be executed, it is not efficient. In case of the later method, the MFP requires the editing function. If the MFP is not provided with the editing function, it is necessary for the information processing terminal to be provided with the image editing software operable thereon. In general, when the image data is divided, each page as divided is given a file name automatically (such as a serial number) and then stored. At imparting the mark to each page, it is hard to recognize which file is the necessary page. Accordingly, though the latter method does not require the printing, there is a large amount of processing, and it is not efficient.